Palliativ vård av barn är en aktiv, multidimensionell vårdform som inkluderar familjen och bedrivs av interdisciplinära team.

En nationell studie med frågeformulär har undersökt om vårdnadshavare till barn med cancer uppfattade att deras barn fick palliativ vård innan barnet dog och deras syn på den vård barnet fick den sista månaden.

Majoriteten av vårdnadshavarna rapporterar att barnet har fått palliativ vård och att personalen var kompetent. Många vårdnadshavare uppfattade att deras barn upplevde smärta den sista tiden i livet. 

Geografiska skillnader föreligger, och färre vårdnadshavare i glesbygd rapporterar att barnet fått palliativ vård.

Studien visar på behovet av tillgång till nationell jämlik palliativ vård.

[Palliative care in paediatric oncology - a national parental perspective]

The WHO definition of paediatric palliative care (PPC) emphasises the role of active multidimensional care, carried out with interdisciplinary competence, and providing support to the entire family. The aim of the current national study was to investigate whether parents perceived that their child received palliative care (PC) before the child died of cancer and the parent's view of the care during the child's last month of life. In 2016, parents (n=226) completed a study-specific survey, and a majority reported that their child had received PC with good professional competence. However, many parents reported that the child was greatly affected by pain in the last month of life. Geographical differences indicated that parents who live in sparsely populated areas to a lesser extent reported that their child received PC. Lastly, our conclusion is that access to equal PPC and improved symptom control is crucial for children and their families.